Reframing the Gun Debate — This time things are different. — This time, nearly a month after the horrible mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., the public attention hasn't ricocheted to the next story. On the contrary, sorrow has hardened into resolve. — This time, something can and must be done.

Obama Will Keep His “Heat Shield” — Eric Holder is the Obama Administration's indispensable man. — Image by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images — Eric Holder may be the least popular member of the Obama cabinet. He is at the center of many of the Administration's ugliest fights with left and right …

Expectations low for Joe Biden, NRA talks — Vice President Joe Biden and the NRA are sitting down Thursday morning to talk gun control. Up next for a talk: Wal-Mart. — But don't be fooled that the high-profile meetings are going to get much done. — The National Rifle Association doesn't want new gun laws.

Robert Bork's Tragedy — Even before Robert Bork died last month, he had achieved something close to martyrdom. In the quarter-century since the Senate rejected his Supreme Court nomination, successive generations of conservative lawyers and activists have carried the torch …

A GOP Strategy for the Debt-Ceiling Fight — The House should pass a bill pairing spending cuts with a dollar-for-dollar debt-ceiling increase. — President Obama says he won't negotiate with Republicans over his proposed more than $1 trillion increase in the debt ceiling as a matter …

Bill Clinton to receive Father of the Year award … Former President Bill Clinton hailed President Obama during remarks at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. (Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY) — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Former president Bill Clinton can add Father of the Year …

Cornyn: Why I can't support Hagel — Editor's note: John Cornyn, a Republican, is the senior United States Senator from Texas. — (CNN) — To the surprise of many, including me, President Barack Obama has nominated former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel to be his next defense secretary.

Boehner takes flak from defense hawks on sequester stance — House Republican defense hawks are pushing back strongly against Speaker John Boehner's claim that he has GOP support to allow steep automatic budget cuts to take effect if President Obama does not agree to replace them with other reductions.

The Biggest Myth About The Platinum Coin Option — The biggest and weirdest myth out there about the $1 trillion platinum coin is the idea that it would require a large quantity of platinum to make one. The National Republican Campaign Committee, for example, is out there warning that …

Virginia Poll: Armed school guards wanted — Bucking the national trend, Virginia voters, by a wide margin, want an armed guard in every school, but they do strongly back an assault weapons ban, according to a poll Thursday. — A Quinnipiac University poll found that Old Dominion voters favor putting …

Obama's Pick for Treasury Is Said to Be His Chief of Staff — WASHINGTON - President Obama will announce on Thursday that he intends to elevate his chief of staff and former budget director, Jacob J. Lew, to be his next secretary of Treasury, according to officials familiar with the decision.

Why U.S. Spending Cuts Won't Kill Too Many Jobs — The U.S. began the year with an awkwardly arranged deal that raised taxes. I hope it doesn't end the year without a deal to limit spending. — The U.K. may have embraced austerity too soon, but the U.S. is far enough along in its recovery that it can begin balancing its books.

Group Pushing Deficit Cuts Has Deep Business Ties — When Jim McCrery, a former Louisiana congressman, urged lawmakers last month to pursue entitlement cuts and tax reform, he was introduced on television as a leader of Fix the Debt, a group of business executives and onetime legislators …

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